Cardfight! Vanguard Victory Road
by JordanGenesis
Summary: When Kio Kurakawa moves from L.A. to Japan, he starts to get hooked on a popular card game that his best friend plays. A card game which leads him to many adventures, new friends, and even romance. Now, he must use his cardfighting knowledge to lead him and Aichi to championship victory. How will this work out? THIS IS MY FIRST VANGUARD FANFIC! Please review! OCxSharlene
1. Chapter 1: Ride the Big News

*UPDATE AS OF 4/7/14* I've managed to update the story for a but in terms of character appearance. I've been reading Vanguard fics lately and while good, I mostly see how authors describe their characters with a little more detail. So I managed to do so. The second chapter will be up soon. It's just school has gotten the hang of me. Also, I've changed the rating from K+ to just a T rating since the story will be using some slight minor language.

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Cardfight! Vanguard: Victory Road

Chapter 1: The Big News

Our story begins in a suburban neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. Kio Kurakawa, an average teenage boy who just recently graduated middle school and now is on his way to become a high school freshman in the coming school year. A month has passed since graduation, and currently it's Summer break for him in the L.A. Metro area.

It's nighttime and Kio is upstairs in his room sitting down in his office style chair about to talk to his best friend Marcus over video chat. Kio, age 15, waiting in his chair and relaxing with his short brown hair and brown eyes while wearing his eyeglasses. In the daytime, he would wear a blue novelty shirt with a white lightning bolt on the front with his blue jeans. In the evening and especially in the Summer, he would would change his lightning shirt to a black tank top undershirt to keep him more cooler.

Marcus has just gotten back from his third Vanguard tournament in a card shop not too far from where both he and Kio lived. He would've gone to to the tournament with him to cheer him on, but he had to assist his mom cleaning the basement from her recent painting she had worked on for nearly two weeks. Kio's mom Akira is a very talented artist. Completing various pieces and other projects she worked hard for to sell for and receive different offers from auctions, bidding websites, and more.

Kio logged on into his laptop and double clicked onto the videochat icon in his desktop. Knowingly, Marcus would be online so he clicked on his name and clicked on the green call button. He waited for him to pick up when Marcus logged on afterwards. On the other side, Marcus logged on his computer and checked his email for a bit until he heard his ringtone. He sat down and knew it was bound to be Kio. In an instant he clicked on the green button with his webcam and microphone automatically being turned on. Kio can see his friend with his camera and Marcus with the same. Marcus was wearing a black t-shirt with a white Cardfight! Vanguard logo on the bottom corner of his shirt and a picture of Thunderstorm Dragoon on the front. His hair style had cornrow braids and his eyes were brown. While wearing his shirt, he was wearing red cargo pants with black sneakers and red laces. He mostly wears red and black, because they were his favorite colors and Narukami was his favorite clan.

"Hey Marc, how was your tourney?" said Kio.

"Amazing! I wish you were there to witness my win 1st place win!" replied Marcus.

"Dang it! Sorry that I could be there. I had to help my mom with weekly cleaning."

"Don't worry about it. Whenever you have to choice to pick between family and cheering on in tournaments, it obvious family always comes first. No matter what."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Anyways, what did you win?" Kio asked

"Just this awesome pre-built deck from from the new Vanguard clan that came out weeks ago and it looks fantastic! Their called Gold Paladins I believe."

Ehh...you probably know more about this stuff than I do. I don't even play Vanguard." Kio shrugged.

"C'mon Kio, at least act like your surprised about it. Even if you didn't know what the game was you still would've cheered me on. "

"I'm sorry dude, but how can I get excited or even pretend to get excited about a card game or even some new clan from that card game that I've never even played? Doesn't that sound weird?" Kio questioned.

"Now that I think about, it does feel kinda weird. We've been friends since 2nd grade and I've gotten into Vanguard for nearly 6 months. Playing Vanguard is so addicting and yet makes it so much fun at the same time. It really is such a great game to me that I wish you would at least give it a shot."

Kio was thinking to himself and felt kinda down after what Marcus just said.

"_I have been denying to Marcus lots of times that I don't want to play Vanguard. I used to play the more popular games in card game back in the good old days. That is, until I decided to give up card games because of the rules being bent so much that I just became so irritated about it that he just simply gave up. It's been a full year since I gave up so, maybe I should let Marcus teach me how to play Vanguard and repay for always denying on him."_

After talking about Marcus' first place win, he then changed to a new subject which was Summer vacation.

"So Marc, any plans for our Summer break?"

"Easy, I'm gonna get a job at Mega Cardz near Downtown. I already applied for a temporary position online at their main site and everything. All I need now is to wait for a callback for and interview and then hope for the best." Marcus sighed.

"You're gonna get the job, I know you will. Just have faith in yourself" Kio said with confidence.

"Thanks, that exactly what I needed" Marcus said happily. "What are YOU gonna do for the Summer? Space Camp again? Disneyland? A girlfriend maybe?"

"No, no, and I wish! I don't know. Maybe I should..." Before Kio could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by his Mom's shouting loudly downstairs from the living room.

"KIO! KIO! COULD YOU COME DOWNSTAIRS PLEASE!" Kio's Mom shouted.

"OK! I'LL BE DOWN IN A SEC!"

"Uh-oh. I hope you didn't do anything wrong." Marcus said with a concerned look on his face.

"I swear I didn't do anything wrong. I couldn't have. At least I hope not. Might as well check it out." sighed Kio. "Listen if anything comes up from me, I'll let you know ASAP."

"Roger that, I'll talk you later. Bye." Marcus said.

After finishing his sentence Kio clicked on the red "END CALL" button. He opened his bedroom door, rushed downstairs, and on his way he sees his mom and his dad sitting on the sofa. His dad Oliver was sitting beside his wife Akira on a beige colored sofa. Kio's mom had a brown ponytail over her shoulder and was wearing a white short sleeve shirt and her beige apron covered with dried paint spots from her recent project, while wearing her denim blue jeans and tennis shoes. His father Oliver, recently just got home wearing his white dress shirt, red tie, and black dress pants. His hair, while a little messy, was brown and his eye color was black while wearing his glasses. He wanted to tell his son the most important news that would change Kio for good.

"Mom, is there something you wanted? Kio questioned. "Dad? I thought you'd be home much later around midnight. Isn't that your overnight shift?"

"Kio, your mother and I have an important announcement to make." Dad said.

Kio looked at his parents a little nervously and was curious about what he think he did.

"What's going on? Did I do something wrong? Am I in trouble?"

"No, no sweetie, you didn't do anything wrong." Said Mom. "Kio, do you know why your father has been working late for the past 5 months?"

"Actually, no. Dad, care to tell me about it?"

"Sure, son. But first, please sit next between us"

"OK." He agreed. He walked towards his parents and sat next between them.

"So, what this important news you wanted to tell me?"

"OK, Kio do you know my boss Mr. Barkley?" Dad told him.

"Yeah, I know him. We meet with each other all the time in one of those "Bring your Kid to Work Days" that we do twice every summer. What about him?" asked Kio.

"Well, the reason I've been working overnight shifts for nearly half a year is because of a certain opportunity my boss proposed to me."

"Let me guess...you got humungous raise that you can finally afford for the three of us to go on that trip I always wanted to go since I was ten?" Kio started to ponder.

"Close, but even better. Kio..."

"WE'RE MOVING GOING TO JAPAN!" Both Mom and Dad shouted in unison.

"Wait, wait, wait! Did you guys say MOVING!?"

"Yes! Isn't this exciting sweetie!?" Mom said.

"I'm...I'm just shocked that...Dad, how did you get a promotion THAT big?" Kio told his Dad.

"Well son, he said that my performances were impressive, excellent and were off the charts compared to the other employees. Mr. Barkley told me to come into his office and to discuss a promotion he had planned since I've been in his accounting branch for more that 5 years. He said this promotion does involve me and my family moving into a new country in order to work for the new branch. There were three man branches to choose from. One in Toronto, Ontario, one in the UK and one in Japan. And guess what I chose!"

"DAD, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!" Kio cried while hugging and kissing his Dad and shedding a bit of a tear in his left eye.

"But wait, if were moving to a new country then don't you have to fill out a lot of paperwork, tons of citizenship papers, and even get some shots?" Kio questioned.

"Already, taken care of. Why did you think your mom went to take you to the doctor last weekend to get your shots?"

"And what about school? I have to go to a new high school for my freshmen year!"

"Your mother and I found a school that is nearest to our new home that we will be staying in."

"I think it's called Hitsue High School, dear" Mom said

"Ah yes, Hitsue High School. Thanks for reminding me dear."

"So when do we leave?" Kio said with an exciting emotion.

"We leave about four weeks from tonight. Starting this Sunday, were gonna have to work extremely hard trying to pack all of our stuff and shipping them to our new home."

Don't worry dad, you can count on me to help you!"

"Now, that's what I loved to hear!"

Kio was still flabbergasted and filled with a tremendous amount of joy that he could just explode happy. It was his dream to go to Japan and now he'll be living his fantasy. He had to tell Marcus this amazing news from his parents. After giving both his mom and dad another kiss and a hug, he rushed upstairs and to his bedroom. He then woke up his laptop from sleep mode and tried to call Marcus. Clicking the call button and waiting for him to pick up, Marcus immediately answered.

"Yeah, Kio. What's up?"

"Marc, OH MAN! You are not gonna believe what's happening to me soon!"

"What is it, dude! Tell me!" Marcus exclaimed.

"You, my friend, are about to be surprised, amazed, excited, shocked, an in believe that...

"GET ON WITH IT AND JUST TELL ME!" Marcus shouted.

"OK, OK! Marc...My family and I are moving to Japan!"

"Seriously? Get the hell outta here! Are you serious?"

"Yes! My dad got this huge promotion from my boss and he's moving to another big branch in Japan. This could be one of the greatest things my Mom and Dad has ever told me!" Kio replied.

"So, when are you gonna leave?"

"My dad said about four weeks or so?"

"Four weeks? We HAVE to do something together before you go. I can ask my mom if we can throw a party or go to dinner for a celebration."

"That's sounds like a great idea, I'll have to tell them about that later."

Marcus was in shocked that Kio was going to be moving to another country in four weeks. But then, an idea came to mind that he wanted to do. He might deny it, but this could be the last time they would ever do anything like it. At the same time, Kio also had the same idea.

"Marc, are you doing anything tomorrow on Saturday?"

"No. Not really in particular. Do YOU have any plans?"

"Vanguard" Kio whispered

"What was that? I couldn't hear you."

"Vanguard." Kio said clearly. "Before I go, I want you to teach me how to Cardfight."

Marcus was silent for at least a few seconds. Just hear the words coming from his mouth made him want to cry inside.

"Marc, are you there?"

"I've been waiting to hear those words for so long." replied Marcus. "OK, meet me at my house, 1PM. I'll teach you the very basics."

"Thanks, bro. I'll come over tomorrow afternoon. I'll be there." Kio said and hit the red "END CALL" button.


	2. Chapter 2: Ride the Vanguard

Chapter 2: Ride the Vanguard

Saturday 9:30 A.M.

Kio woke up from his queen sized bed with a solid blue comforter and sheets with the same color. Wearing his white t-shirt and his long solid blue pajama pants, he stood up from beside his bed and put on his slippers. What caused him to wake up was his mom cooking breakfast. She was in the kitchen in her silk lavender two piece pajamas while wearing her breakfast apron of a picture of Hello Kitty on the front. Kio could sniff the sweet smell of fresh baked cinnamon rolls from upstairs. Not only that, he could also smell eggs, bacon, pancakes, and even bacon pancakes.

Kio opened his door and went downstairs to the kitchen where he sees his mom finishing breakfast. Obviously, he knew his dad was gone so he could do some last minute adjustments and completions for the family's move to Japan to take affect. Kio's mom could hear his footsteps go down the stairs and greeted him with a good morning.

Kio yawned and said, "Morning mom."

"Good Morning, Kio. My, you're up a little early." Kio's mom smiled.

"Yeah, well I couldn't resist the smell of your cooking. Those cinnamon rolls of yours really woke me up."

"Like always. I made your favorite. Bacon pancakes with a side of eggs and bacon. Plus some cinnamon rolls and orange juice."

"Bacon pancakes. I could never resist them. You make them just the way I like em'. Thanks, mom!"

As soon as she was done, both Kio and his mom grabbed their plates and juice from the kitchen counter by the oven and sat down in the dining room beside each other. He poured maple syrup all over his eggs, bacon, and the special pancakes his mom made. She then starts a conversation about the big move.

"So, the road to Japan starts tomorrow. Excited?" Kio's mom smiled with her sweet voice.

"Yeah, I can't wait until everything's finished and we finally arrive" Kio replied. "But the more I think about it, the more I'm gonna miss being here. My school, my family, this neighborhood, this house, and friend."

"Marcus? How'd he take it?"

"We pretty much had the same reaction. There was no doubt that we were excited about it."

Kio suddenly remembered about what Marcus said during the video chat the other night.

"_Meet me at my house at one in the afternoon. I'll teach the very basics of Vanguard" _said Marcus.

"_That's right, I'm supposed to meet him today to teach me how to play Vanguard. I should tell mom that I'm going to Marcus' house to visit."_

"Mom?"

"Yeah, Kio. What is it?"

"I'm gonna be going to Marcus' house this afternoon. Just to let you know."

"Oh, that's great. Because I'm going to there too to see Marie and have some tea. After that, we'll be at the mall doing some shopping. You and Marcus are welcomed to join us."

"Thanks, I'll make sure of it." Kio smiled.

Both him and his mom continued to eat and Kio was very delighted that his mom made him his favorite breakfast.

"Mom, next time you cook breakfast. How about cooking bacon waffles instead." Kio insisted while eating.

Mom said. "Great idea! You know what, I just saw a waffle iron on sale online the other week. I'll have to order one before we move."

"Sweet!"

Minutes later, they both finished their breakfast and washed their plates like they always do whenever they eat from the table. Kio's mom wrapped the rest of the cinnamon rolls that were on the baking pan and stored them in the refrigerator for them to eat later. While it was still early to go to Marcus' house, Kio decides to play a video game in his living room to kill the time. The family TV was a 50' plasma screen with a stand. It was hooked up to a game console with the game still inside. He was trying beating a JRPG that he was close to finishing. The game had multiple automated dungeons, a great soundtrack, and an excellent story. When he first started to play it, he didn't want to sleep at all. He would often stay up late to see how long he could finish. He thought that without sleep and playing though it non-stop, it would take him about more three days to finish. So, he decided to play the game on certain times to save his rest, which was probably a wise decision. At fifty minutes past eleven, he finally made it to the last dungeon, got the best ending and soon as the credits started rolling he went to go to the kitchen to get him some fruit punch from the fridge. When he got back to the couch, he noticed a dent from the top of the couch cushions that he sat on.

While drinking his punch, Kio approached to the couch and thought, "Wow, I must played that game REALLY long."

Kio sighed of relief that he finally completed that game and now he will remember some of the awesome and funny moments since he had that game. Noon was approaching and did not want to be late. The credits ended on the game and he immediately saved the game on his memory card. It was getting close to be noon and Kio thought it would be a good time to change into his clothes. He went upstairs and into his room closet to find his favorite shirt. His shirt was a blue, short sleeve novelty shirt with a white lightning bolt on the front. He then changed out of his pajamas and into his shirt and jeans. When he was done, he went to the bathroom to straighten his short, brown hair and brushed his teeth. He was also cleaning his lenses on his glasses. They were a little dirty, but he took care of it with cleaning kit he bought from the drug store downtown.

After he was finished, he watched a little bit of TV downstairs. Kio grabbed the remote and change the input settings from "Video" mode to "TV" mode. Once he was in "TV" mode, it was tuned into a commercial for a car dealership promoting cars that can get you 0% APR financing. Kio never cared about that, in fact he never cared about it at all so he would do what any fourteen year old do and it was simply ignore it. When it was over, he was watching the local news on channel two. It was the last report and the anchorwoman was talking about the hit trading card game, "Cardfight! Vanguard".

That name ranged Kio's bell and remembered the words "Cardfight" and "Vangaurd". She was talking about how it was spreading all across the Japan, United States, Europe, and many other countries all over the world. Suddenly, he noticed a familiar face on the screen. What he saw was Marcus being on a brief interview with a reporter.

"_That's weird, Marcus never told me he was on the news."_ Kio thought to himself.

"I recommend this to anybody who is into card games or who are about to get into card games. It's simplistic, the gameplay is fantastic, and it very popular for card players to enjoy all over the world. Much more popular than other card games I played." Marcus told the reporter.

"Cardfight! Vanguard or "Vanguard" in short, is a card game for not only kids, but for adults who enjoy it. The popular card game is spreading like wildfire and tournaments are held every Friday night at this local card shop I am standing behind. I was also told that a regional tournament will be held later in the summer at the L.A. Convention Center for different divisions including team leagues, two on two tag team, and singles competition. Reporting live from Mega Cardz, I'm Chris Mitchell, CBS 2 News.

Kio muted the TV and started to think about what the reporter said earlier on.

"The game he said was really popular, huh" he thought. "If it's really that popular now and gameplay Marc said was true, maybe I should give it shot."

He suddenly hear footsteps behind him and realized it was just his mom walking downstairs. She was wearing a pink sleeveless shirt with a white neckerchief. Her pants were blue jeans that were the same brand as Kio's. Her hairstyle was still the same from last night, which was a ponytail over her shoulder, but it was more shinier and had more bounce. She was also wearing her favorite white star earrings.

"Kio, are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, I'm ready. Let's go." he replied after turning off the TV and opening the door for his mom.

Kio and Marcus lived in the same neighborhood so both him and his mom decided to walk instead of driving. Driving would've been faster, but it would be best to walk since the weather was bright and sunny. It was also a great time to exercise as well. After ten to fifteen minutes, they finally arrived of Marcus' house. The house was the same design and structure as Kio's, but in reverse. Kio rang the doorbell two times followed by hearing footsteps. The door opens and it was Marcus' mother, Marie. Marie was wearing a beige blouse with black pants with black socks.

"Akira! Kio! It's so nice to see you two. Please come inside. Marcus told me about the great news and I was just done making tea and baking fresh cookies." Marie said.

"Hi Mrs. Johnson. Is Marcus here." Kio greeted.

"Yes, he's upstairs in his room. He told he's got something for you. Something about cardfighting."

"Thanks, I'm pretty sure I know what he's got is store."

"Oh! If you kids are hungry, just order a pizza while me and your mom go shopping. There's also plenty of cookies for dessert." Marie told Kio.

"Thanks Mrs. Johnson." Kio replied.

As soon as he knew about what Marcus had something in stored for him he quickly rushed upstairs and towards the door which lead to his room.

Kio knocked on the door. "Marc, it's me Kio!"

"Come in!" Marc shouted.

He then turned the knob and opened the door to Marcus' room. His room was filled with Vanguard merchandise. Lots of cards he keep in a binder that was under his computer desk, posters that were hanging from wall to wall, limited edition action figures of Ultra Rare that were still sealed, the official video game that just got done playing, and various other items as far as the eye could see. Kio was surprised to see all the Vanguard stuff he had lying around in his room. To him, it was like a huge shrine.

"Suprised?" Marcus questioned.

"Uh-huh." Kio nodded. "Where'd you get all of this stuff?

"Internet, where else? I actually got all of this stuff from import websites, conventions, and tournaments.

"Import sites? God! That must've cost a lot of money!" Kio shouted.

"Actually, most of the stuff I have were on discounts and gift cards, but they were all totally worth it."

"There's also one thing I forgot to mention" said Kio.

"What's that?" Marcus answered

"Why didn't you tell me you were on the news when they were covering your guys' tournament?" Kio questioned Marcus.

"Whoops, forgot to tell you about that. But forget about that. You wanted me to teach you how to play Vanguard and so I shall. Follow me."

The two were walking towards a black nightstand that also had mini vanguard figures on top and chibi Ultra Rare figures. Kio started to wonder about the three female figures on his nightstand. He asked a question about them.

"Marcus, who are those ladies that I keep seeing around in your room"

"Oh, that's Ultra Rare! They're the hottest vanguard team this year and a big musical group. They were #10 on Billboard's Top 100 list in Japan. Want a copy of the CD? I have some extras if you want." Marcus said while searching for his decks.

Kio never heard of Ultra Rare before, which was obvious because they were a Vanguard group and he wouldn't know about it. Kio does like Japanese music groups and the style of their music. He decides to accept Marcus' offer on giving him the CD.

"Sure, just be sure to give it to me before I get home."

"Cool!" Marcus said. He then found his two deck boxes and playmats. One yellow named "Gold Paladin" and one red deck box labeled "Narukami-Budget" He also found playmats that were the traditional black Vanguard mats that can be played.

"Found them! Now we can play. We'll play on the floor."

Before upon sitting on the floor, Kio takes off his shoes and lays them on the side of the bed. While doing so, Marcus lays the rubber vanguard field flat on the carpeted floor and prepares to give Kio the Gold Paladin deck while Marcus sticks with the Narukami. They both sat down Indian style holding their decks in their hand.

"So are you ready?" Marcus told Kio.

"Yeah, I'm ready. Teach me." Kio said.

"Alright, first I want you to look in the deck and find a grade 0 starting vanguard and place it on the vanguard circle. It should be near the end of the deck since I organized them all."

"Alright, find a grade 0." Kio repeated to himself.

Kio tries to find a grade 0 starter and noticed that were more than one grade 0s. He estimated that there were seventeen of them with the same grade. With confusion on his mind, he didn't know which one to choose.

"Having trouble finding one? Try looking for a grade 0 that doesn't yellow bottom." Marcus said.

Kio was still looking for his grade 0 until he heard what he said. He found the grade 0 starting unit that was between the other grade 0s. It was labeled, "Little Fighter, Cron" down at the bottom of the card and understood what he meant by starting vanguard. He then placed it face down on the vanguard circle like Marcus showed him.

"Now, I want you to shuffle your deck and place your deck in a zone labeled "Deck Zone. Once you do, look at the top five cards of your deck."

Kio shuffled real good and placed his cards in the deck zone. Looking at the top five cards he noticed he had a one Grade 3, two Grade 2's, and two Grade 1's

"If you don't like the cards in your hand, you can always redraw again. It's very important to have your starting hand balance of grades 1, 2, and 3. How's your hand?" Marcus asked.

"It looks pretty good. I'm all set." Kio answered.

"Awesome. I'll go first since this is your first time. But first...I want you to imagine."

"Imagine?"

"Yes. Picture it in your mind. Our spirits have been transported to the surface on a planet similar to Earth called Cray. In our spirit form, we're given two existing powers. The first is the power to summon our units or "Call". You call units to a circle located on the field."

"You mean the ones that are in yellow labled "R"?" Kio pointed.

"Right. Our second ability allows us to take the form of those summoned units. This is called a "Ride" Whichever unit we select take the form of is refereed to as the vanguard. It's our most important unit and the game commences when we flip over our cards from the vanguard circle as we yell in unison, "Stand up, Vanguard!"

"OK" Kio said as he starts to flip over the cards and yell in unison.

"Stand up, my vanguard!"

"Little Fighter, Cron" [Grade 0, 4000 Power]

"Spark Kid Dragoon" [Grade 0, 4000 Power]

"Alright. Now, I start by drawing a card first and if I find a Grade 1 in my hand I ride on top of the vanguard circle." Marcus said taking his turn. "I ride Red River Dragoon [Grade 1, Power 8000]! Using his Spark Kid's skill, I move him to the the back. The player going first doesn't attack, so now it's your turn."

**Marcus' Field**

**Hand: 5**

**Front Row: NONE – Red River Dragoon - NONE**

**Back Row: NONE – Spark Kid Dragoon – NONE**

**Damage: NONE**

"OK" Kio nodded. "I draw and I ride Knight of Elegant Skills, Gareth [Grade 1, Power 8000]!"

"Since, Little Fighter, Cron has the same skill as Spark Kid Dragoon, you can move him down to any of the yellow rearguard circles. Keep in mind that when you call units the the rearguard circle during turns, it has to be equal or less than the grade of your vanguard." Marcus explained.

"Got it. I think I'll move Cron down to the lower right rearguard Circle and I call Charjgal [Grade 1, Power 6000] behind Gareth."

"Going second means you have a chance to attack me. You can do so by turning your front row units sideways or resting."

"I attack Red River Dragoon with Gareth." Kio said as he turned his card in the rest position.

"When your vanguard attacks, you can increase its power by supporting it with one of your rearguards behind it"

"In that case, I'll use Charjgal to give Gareth a 6000 power boost for his attack!"

"Since Gareth is your vanguard, you can look at the top card of your deck and check for a drive trigger."

Kio nodded as he took the top card of his deck and revealed that there was a trigger. A draw trigger named "Weapons Dealer, Gwydion" [Grade 0, Power 5000, Shield 5000]

"Draw Trigger activated!" Marcus shouted.

"Draw what now?"

"Draw trigger. There's an icon on the upper right hand corner of the card that says "Draw". There are four types of triggers and that one allows you to draw one more card. In addition to that, you can also give the 5000 attack power to any of your units and add the card you just checked to your hand. Since Cron is down in the lower right of the rearguard circle and not in the front, he can't attack. So, you can give the extra power to your vanguard. After that, I deal one damage. I do so by taking the top card from my deck and placing it in the damage zone. That's call a damage trigger check."

"Marcus checks for damage. It revealed "Wyvern Guard, Guld" and places it in the damage zone.

"I only dealt one damage. It's a slight start, but if you can inflict me five more damage then the game is over and my spirit is forever lifted from the surface. Meaning, I lose. It's now my turn."

**Kio's Field**

**Hand: 6**

**Front Row: NONE - Knight of Elegant Skills, Gareth - NONE**

**Back Row: NONE - Charjgal - Little Fighter, Cron**

**Damage: NONE**

"Draw! I ride Thunderstorm Dragoon. Then, I call "Brightjet Dragon to front. I'll begin my attack with Brightjet." Marcus declared.

"Both Gareth and Brightjet have the exact same attack power" Kio stated.

"I'm not done yet. When Brightjet attacks, if I have less cards in my hand than you it gets an additional 3000 attack power. Seeing that I have thee cards and you only have six, the effect counts."

"But wait, your rearguard has more power than my vanguard. So that means..."

"If the power is equal or more, then the attack goes through regardless of which front row circle the unit is on."

"But if your attack goes through with Brightjet, then you'll be able to attack your Thunderstorm Dragoon afterwards and I'll take two damage." Kio gasped

"Yes, but you can also weaken your opponents attack with the cards in your hand."

Kio looks for a card to defend and notices a cards with a shield marker on the left side. He chose the draw trigger he pulled and placed it in the guardian circle.

"I guard with Weapons Dealer, Gwydion. [Shield 5000]"

"Remember that the number on the side of the card becomes your damage shield. Your shield power is added to your vanguard's power, making Gareth's defend power 13000 against my 11000 rearguard. Brightjet's power isn't high enough to attack"

"That means the attack fails, right" said Kio.

"Uh-huh. Since you used Gwydion to defend Gareth, he must go to the drop zone."

As Kio places Gwydion in the drop, Marcus then declares his next attack.

"I then attack with Thunderstorm Dragoon combined with the rearguard's power for 14000!"

"I won't guard this time" Kio declared.

"Checking for a drive trigger. Shoot! No trigger." Shieldblade Dragoon, [Grade 2, Power 8000 Shield 5000]

Kio checked for a damage trigger. It revealed "Evil Slaying Swordsman, Haugan".

"We both have one damage so far, I'm alright for now." Kio sighed in his mind.

"Since all my attacks have been declared, I now pass my turn to you." said Marcus.

**Marcus' Field**

**Hand: 5**

**Front Row: Brightjet Dragon - Thunderstorm Dragoon - NONE**

**Back Row: NONE – Spark Kid Dragoon - NONE**

**Damage: 1**

"I stand and draw. Okay, I ride the Knight of Superior Skill, Beaumains [Grade 2, Power 10000]. Little Fighter Cron's skill state that I can pay the cost of one card from the damage zone and put him in the soul to look for the top five cards of my deck for a grade 3 vanguard. Umm, Marc. Where is the soul and how do I pay the cost in the damage zone?" Kio questioned.

"Easy. Just put him in the vanguard circle under Gareth and when your paying the cost, you just simply flip a card over or counter blast."

Kio counter blasted the one damage he took from earlier in the game and moved Cron into the soul. He checked the top five cards in his deck and noticed one grade 3 unit. The card was bright and shiny. He took that grade 3 unit and put in his hand. The effect states that once you found a grade 3 or didn't, the player must shuffle his deck and so he did. He placed the deck back in the proper zone and continued his turn.

"I call another copy of Beaumains to front rearguard. He begins by attacking Thunderstorm Dragoon!"

"I don't guard." Marcus took the hit and checked for a damage trigger. His second damage revealed his Plasambite Dragon [Grade 3, Power 10000]

"With a boost from Chajgal, Beaumains is coming at your vanguard!" Kio shouted.

"I don't guard."

"I'll check for a drive trigger." [Evil Slaying Swordsman Haugan]

"Checking for a damage trigger" Marcus' damage card revealed another Plasmabite Dragon.

"Darn it! Another grade 3 already?!" Marcus thought. Heh, no problem. Not as long as I still have my main grade 3 unit that I need in my hand, I'll be alright throughout this fight."

"Looks like I end my turn from here. Over to you."

**Kio's Field**

**Hand: 5**

**Front Row: Knight of Superior Skill, Beaumains - Knight of Superior Skill, Beaumains - NONE**

**Back Row: NONE - Charjgal - NONE**

**Damage: 1**

"Stand and Draw!" I ride Djinn of the Lightning Flash [Grade 3, 10000 Power]! Calling Shieldblade Dragoon [Grade 2, 8000 Power] and Red River Dragoon for support! I pay the cost of one damage to activate Spark Kid Dragoon's skill, by putting him in the soul and checking the top 5 cards for a grade 3 unit.

Marcus looked at the top five cards and noticed only one grade 3 from his check. A grade 3 that could be able to defeat his dear friend. He took the card, added into his hand and shuffled his deck. Now, Marcus begins his declaration of attacks.

"Boosted by Red River, Shieldblade attacks your vanguard!"

"No guard." Kio place a card from the deck and into the damage zone. It revealed one of the perfect guards, Halo Sheild, Mark. He's now at two damage.

"I attack with Djinn of the Lightning Flash and his skill. Whenever he's on the Vanguard circle, he gets a 4000 power boost from his effect. 14000 at your vanguard!"

"I don't guard."

"This is where the fun part begins. My vanguard...has twin drive."

"Twin Drive? What's that?" Kio said.

"Any grade 3 units that are on the vanguard circle, the player gets to use the grade 3's ability to drive check twice."

"Oh, so in other words, not only you get to draw one card, you draw another."

"Exactly. Now, I check for the twin drive."Dragon Dancer, RaiRai, Spark Edge Dracokid (Critical). "Got it! A critical trigger!"

_"Critical Trigger? That can't be good."_ Kio thought.

"This is when things get more interesting. When I reveal critical trigger, I can give the power and the +1 critical to any of my units. Since the attack went through, I think I'll give the critical to Djinn and the power to Brightjet dragon. Also, my vanguard has two critical, meaning you'll take two damage.

Kio gasped and checked for damage triggers. There were no triggers. A copy of Sleygal Sword and a copy of Blessing Owl was put into the damage zone.

"Brightjet Dragon attacks with 5000 boost from the twin drive, aiming at your vanguard!"

"I guard Blessing Owl! [Sheild 5000]"

"I end my turn."

**Marcus' Field**

**Hand: 5**

**Front Row: Brightjet Dragon – Djinn of the Lightning Flash – Sheildblade Dragoon**

**Back Row: NONE – NONE - Red River Dragoon**

**Damage: 3**

"I stand and draw." Here we go! Arise my vanguard and bring forth victory! Ride! Great Silver Wolf Garmore! [Grade 3, 11000 Power] Kio chanted. "I use his skill by paying the cost two damage and it states that when he's placed on the vanguard circle I can search for a grade 2 or less unit from my deck and call it to an open rearguard circle. I call Sacred Guardian Beast, Nemean Lion and Evil Slaying Swordsman, Haugan for support. I pay the cost once more to give him a slight 1000 power boost."

"Impressive." said Marcus. "I see your playing the game very easily than I expected."

"Thanks. Now look out, cause I'm charging in with Garmore with the boost from Charjgal for 16000 attack power."

"There's two things you forgot. The first is that if you want Charjgal to have more power, you can use its ability to soul blast. You do that by sending one card from the soul stack that's under your vanguard and place it in the drop zone. The second is the ability to Limit Break." Marcus mentioned.

"Limit Break?"

"Only grade 3's have this certain ability and it only happens if you four or five damage. Now that you have four you'll have enough to activate Garmore's Limit break to give him an additional 5000 attack power."

"I think I'll do just that" Kio took one card, which was his starting vanguard, from the soul and placed it in the drop zone. "Alright, I'm all ready to attack. I use Garmore's LIMIT BREAK! 26000 power all together."

"I don't guard."

"Garmore's a grade 3 unit so he has the twin drive. Checking for triggers." Charging Charriot Knight, Silent Punisher (critical) "Sweet a critical trigger! I give the 5000 power to Beaumains and the critical to my vanguard bringing you for two damage."

"Ugh. Checking for damage triggers." Little Soldier Riki, Malevolent Djinn (Critical) "Critcal Trigger. Criticals are useless when the players are on the defense, but power is more useful than you think. Power goes to Djinn and leaving me at 5 damage.

"Nemean Lion and Haugan goes for the final blow for 16000!"

Marcus checks for the top card of the deck for the sixth and final damage. He was happy to see what would come next.

"Did you actually think you were gonna win that easily? Heal trigger acquired! When this is triggered I can take a card from the damage zone and put it in the drop zone. This only happens if I have more damage than you. The damage remains at 5."

"Which means..." Kio said.

"That this battle is not over yet." Marcus finished.

**Kio's Field**

**Hand: 5**

**Front Row: Knight of Superior Skill, Beaumains - Knight of Superior Skill, Beaumains – Sacred Guardian Beast, Nemean Lion**

**Back Row: NONE - Charjgal - Evil Slaying Swordsman, Haugan**

**Damage: 4**

"Stand and Draw! Hear the power of the thunder and witness my vanguard as it breaks its limits! Ride! Thunder Break Dragon![Grade 3, 11000 Power]" Marcus chanted.

"I call Dragon Dancer Rai Rai [Grade 1, 6000 Power] for my vanguard's support. I activate Thunder Break Dragon's counterblast to superior call Red River Dragoon. I attack first with Sheildblade combined with Red River's power for 16000!"

"Silent Punisher guards!"

"Thunder Break Dragon and Dragon Dancer Rai Rai have the exact same skills as both Chajgal and Garmore. I pay all of the cost and activate Thunder Break Dragon's LIMIT BREAK! He roars in for 26000!"

"I don't guard." Kio said.

"If I pull one critical trigger, it'll be game over for you."

"Go ahead, check the twin drive." He smirked.

"Checking for the twin drive." Plasmabite Dragon, Old Dragon Mage (Draw). "Draw trigger. Power to Brightjet and I draw one card."

"Checking for the damage trigger" Flame of victory (critical) "Critical trigger. 5000 will go to Garmore. Bringing him to 16000."

"I launch my final attack with Brightjet for 24000 at your vanguard!"

Kio was sweating bullets. They're tied at five. If he takes one more damage, it'll be all over for him. But then, Kio looked at Nemean Lion's skill. When he intercepts, his shield power doubles for 10000. The only problem is that he didn't know how.

"What's up? Planning on submitting?" Marcus asked.

"Heh heh. You're really good at this game and it's been fun. A lot of fun. But, you know me that I never back down from a fight. I never give up no matter what. So I say, I intercept with Nemean Lion! Making your attack a bust. "

"_Amazing. How does he know how to intercept? I haven't even taught him that skill and yet he manage to stop my final attack. But, I have to admit though, he's playing the quite good. Kio my friend, you're learning well." _Marcus thought to himself. "Turn end. Over to you Kio."

**Marcus' Field**

**Hand: 6**

**Front Row: Brightjet Dragon – Djinn of the Lightning Flash – Sheildblade Dragoon**

**Back Row: Red River Dragoon – Dragon Dance, RaiRai - Red River Dragoon**

**Damage: 5**

"I stand and draw. Calling Battlefield Storm, Sagramore. [Grade 3, 10000 Power]" Kio said . I attack first with Sagramore supported by Haugan.

"I intercept with Shieldblade!"

Next, I attack with Garmore combined with his limit break and Chajgal's soulblast for 26000!

"I guard with Old Dragon Mage, Lightning of Hope Helena, and Wyvern Supply Unit. Brightjet Dragon intercepts

"Checking for twin drive." Elixir Sommelier (Heal) "Heal trigger! Power to Garmore and recovering one damage. The second check. Flame of Victory (Critical) Critical Trigger! Power goes to Beaumains and critical to Garmore.

"Checking the damage trigger" Demonic Dragon Nymph, Seibo (heal) " Damage remains at 5 and power goes to Thunder Break dragon. Now for the second damage."

Marcus was sweating and his hand was shaking. The chances of pulling another heal trigger and surviving are pretty slim. He believed he was going to be able to stay in the game, but when it he flipped over the top of the card from the deck. He was not surprised. It revealed Thunderstorm Dragoon. He showed his friend and said, "Ya beat me." The damage was done. Marcus was now at six and the game was over.

"So that's it? I won my first game?" Kio asked.

"For your first game, you were pretty good." said Marcus.

"Hey, Marc."

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"No problem. You wanna play again?" said Marcus.

"Yeah, but first I'm getting pretty hungry."

"You're right. I am getting hungry after all that cardfighting. Come on, let's order a pizza."

And so, Marcus and Kio were done cardfighting and they both decided to take a break and order a pizza. To pass the time while they wait for the pizza, they watched a little bit of TV. The show was a game show about two families doing ridiculous stunts and physical challenges to win cash and prizes. Watching that show made them feel nostalgic and looked back at their childhood. Their pizza arrived just as soon the show was over. It was a pepperoni pizza with the garlic bread crust. As soon as they were done eating, they took the plate of cookies and took it up to Marcus' room to play another game while their mom's come home from work. Marcus got his wish and the one wish he wanted the most before Kio moves. Play the game he loved against his best friend that he'll soon love too.


End file.
